Tools are mounted upon lathes in a variety of ways and for a multiplicity of purposes from turning down a rotating workpiece to cutting off and finishing an end of a workpiece. Large commercial lathes employed in industry are normally provided with a heavy rigid tool holder of complex structure which may include a wedge-type mechanism for locking a tool in adjusted position. It is recognized that tool mounting must be quite rigid for precision lathe work and commercial tool mounts provide this necessary rigidity.
On the other hand, available tool mounts for smaller lathes tend to lack the desired rigidity and stability for precision work. The present invention provides a very sturdy and rigid holder of simple structure which positively clamps a tool and, in fact, a variety of different tools for holding same in adjustable positions to perform desired lathe operations.